Hello!

I just wanted to thank every single one of you who took the time to read and review for chapter 17. I was BLOWN AWAY by the response! No other chapter has gotten that many reviews and I was beyond touched. I'm so glad you all enjoyed it :)

Anyway, as promised, reviews really do make me write faster. You guys made me so excited to get you the next update so here it is!
Hope it lives up to the last one!

Enjoy!

Chapter 18

"Meredith!"

She could hear Derek's chair screech in protest against the hardwood floors as he rose to go after her.

She wanted to turn around. She wanted nothing more than to go back and burry herself deep in his arms and hide from the rest of the world. However, her pride wouldn't allow Nancy the satisfaction of seeing how much impact her words had actually had.

She believed every word she had said and knew that Nancy's words held no truth to them. But her hormones had been surging lately and sensible logic didn't stand a chance.

As pride won the battle over her desire for Derek's comfort, she choked back the knot rising in her throat and pushed forward.

She didn't allow the first tear to fall until her foot touched the top step of the staircase.

Just as Derek was about to follow Meredith up the stairs, something made him pause.

About a hundred different emotions were coursing through his system and each one was commanding his body to do something different. His first instinct was to run to Meredith.

After five years, he knew exactly what her face looked like when she was trying not to cry. And during the end of her outburst, he could clearly see her green eyes begin to tinge with redness and glass over with newly forming tears. There was no doubt in his mind that his wife was currently in their bedroom crying at that very moment.

He honestly hadn't been expecting her reaction. There was no question that it was warranted; Nancy needed to be put in her place and, all things considered, Meredith was a lot kinder than what Derek had in mind.

So while every nerve in his body was yearning to hold his wife, something else kept him rooted in place.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Where the hell do you get off talking to her that way?" he demanded, glaring intently at Nancy.

"She is my wife! She's the love of my life and you have no right to speak to her or about her that way. If you've got a problem with me, Nancy, then take it up with me. But don't you dare drag Meredith into your issues."

Derek was fuming and only getting angrier as he let out his frustrations.

"You want to know what I've been doing with my life? I'm being happy. I'm building a house; I'm building a family; I'm living my life with the woman that I love. And you know what? The phone works both ways, Nancy. You want to hear what's happening with me so badly, then you pick up the phone. Don't pin it all on me."

He took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself down a bit before he continued speaking.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get Meredith and we'll go find a hotel or something for the night. This doesn't have anything to do with the rest of you," he added, looking around at his mother and other sisters. "And we'll try to come visit again soon so we can have an actual visit. But I'm not going to force her to stay here and make her feel unwelcome. She doesn't deserve that. Especially right now."

Just as he turned to leave, he swiveled back towards the table a half a second later.

"Oh yeah," he chuckled bitterly. "We're having a baby. Meredith's pregnant. Thought you all would like to know."

With one last bitter glare towards his sister, Derek stormed out of the dining room and up the stairs to find his wife.

"Good going, Nance," Amelia quipped sarcastically. "First family dinner in eons and you manage to clear the table within the first ten minutes."

"I'm just trying to look out for Derek. He never acted this way with Addie," Nancy said indignantly, trying to justify her earlier actions.

"He also wasn't happy with Addie!" Kathleen exclaimed. "Not really. And especially not towards the end of their marriage. Have you even listened to him talk about Meredith? Even over the phone I could tell he has changed. And for the better! Whether it's because of Meredith or not, our brother is happy and you had no right to act like that. For God's sake, he's leaving now! For Liz and me, it's our first visit with him in five years and it's lasted all of twenty minutes."

"She's a good person," Amelia piped up. "She's the one that got Derek on a plane when I asked for him to come see me in L.A. And she's been the only one that's talked to me like an actual person instead of the little sad girl with the dead fiancé and a drug addiction. She makes Derek happy. Get your head out of your ass and let them be happy together," she finished, directing the last sentence at Nancy in particular.

After saying her piece, she picked up her plate and exited into the kitchen.

"When they come back down," Carolyn spoke in a low even tone, daring anyone to interrupt her in a way only a mother can pull off. "You are going to apologize and mean it. That girl has been nothing but kind since the moment she got here and I will not condone your behavior in my house. I raised you better than that."

With that, Carolyn rose with her plate as well and joined Amelia in the kitchen.

"Way to ruin dinner, Nance" Liz mumbled under her breath.

"Mer?"

Derek's voice was soft and gentle as he called her name from the threshold of his childhood bedroom. He peeked in the room through the small gap between the door and the wall.

"Meredith?" he asked again, pushing the door open further and stepping into the bedroom.

The scene before him broke his heart.

Meredith was curled up on her side, but still facing so he could clearly see the tear stains flowing down her flushed face. He could hear her sniffling and her breath catching occasionally as she attempted to calm herself down.

"Mer, honey," he sighed sadly, making his way to her side. There was no reason for her to have to be going through this right now. He genuinely hated Nancy in that moment.

Crouching down in front of her, Derek took his thumb to dry her cheek and stroke her hair lovingly.

"I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am for the way Nancy behaved just now. She had no right to say any of that. But, Mer, nothing she said was true. You and I both know that we're doing fine. You said so yourself, we're in love and together and the rest doesn't matter."

She sniffed in response but made no move to speak. She only continued to gaze up at him with sad, bloodshot eyes.

"Meredith, talk to me," he whispered. "Tell me what you're thinking so I can help."

"I don't…" she choked out, holding back a sob. "I don't know…"

Despite her best efforts, Meredith couldn't hold back the flood gates any longer. At the first signs of her face beginning to crumble, Derek stood quickly and proceeded to gather Meredith into his arms as he joined her on the bed.

"Shhhhh," he soothed quietly, rocking her slowly back and forth. "You're okay. We're okay."

It took a few minutes and more whispers of comfort before Meredith managed to calm down again.

"I'm sorry," she hiccupped. "I'm hormonal and weepy and yell at your family members and I don't know what to do about it."

"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about," he stated firmly. "I'm the one who's sorry. I honestly thought Nancy was going to behave herself tonight. I never would have knowingly put you in that position."

She nodded in understanding, but didn't know what else to say. The whole situation just seemed too overwhelming. For the moment, all she wanted to focus on was the feeling of her husband's strong arms around her and the sound of his heart beating beneath her ear.

"I'm so proud of you, you know," Derek murmured into her hair.

She reluctantly lifted her head from his chest. "Hmmm?"

"I'm so proud of you for standing up for yourself; for us. You beat me to it, but I'll let it slide this time," he chuckled, kissing her quickly on her temple. "I gave her a piece of my mind after you were done anyway."

"I don't want to cause conflict between you and your family, Derek."

"You are my family too, Meredith. And you didn't do anything. Whatever issue Nancy has, is Nancy's problem. I warned her to play nice and she didn't. If you want to leave, we can. I don't want to make you stay if you feel uncomfortable."

"No, we don't have to do that," she replied immediately.

"I'm serious, Mer."

"I know. I am too."

"Meredith-"

"I'm done running. I meant everything I said. I know she's your sister, but I don't need her to like me. It would make everything a whole lot easier, granted, but I love the rest of your family, especially your mother. And most importantly, I love you. And you should get to spend the little time we have left here with your family."

His love for the woman in front of him overwhelmed him and threatened to burst within his chest. He gave into his emotions and the overpowering urge to kiss her and pulled Meredith as close as possible.

The moment their lips met, Meredith instantly relaxed.

This moment, this very moment, was worth all the other crappy ones. This moment made her forget crappy moments even existed. This moment, in her husband's arms, made her really believe that everything would be okay.

This chapter proves it!
Reviews really do make me write faster ;) lol!
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